


Mute

by TheSilentUnderworld



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Blood, Eventual Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-16
Updated: 2015-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 05:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3755716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSilentUnderworld/pseuds/TheSilentUnderworld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester, demon, runaway, ex-knight of hell, escapes the torture of some less than forgiving hunters and passes out on Castiel's doorstep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Thud

Sam and Castiel had been trying to track Dean down for months now. After Dean had turned into a demon and took off with Crowley it was hard to find them- Dean on his own might be easy, but Crowley? His pseudonyms were impossible to guess, patterns impossible to track.

And when word got out that Dean had dumped Crowley, two things went through Castiel’s celestial wavelength of a mind.

1.) Maybe we can find him.

2.) Every last hunter in the country is going to be after his significantly more defenseless head.

Even so, Sam reported nothing good the last time they had spoken, he couldn’t find Dean and it made Castiel even more worried. Every second they didn’t have Dean the chances of a hunter finding him increased.

Despite this unease Castiel, in a weakened state, needed sleep, and despite this necessity, Castiel was having another restless night. It was scarce in his little apartment ever since Dean’s… predicament.

Suddenly, jarringly, there was a hard knock at the front door and then… a thud?

Castiel jolted up, fixing his robe and grabbing an angel blade before hesitantly exiting the room and opening the door in question.

There was no one at the door, no one that he could see. No one down the hallway, left or right, nothing front and center. He did feel something down on his feet, however, more a presence than a physical touch. He blinked before turning his gaze downwards and gasped.

There was a horrifying sight. Dean’s body limp against the invisible barrier of a salt line and a good number of enochian sigils, tattered and bleeding out. Cuts on his arms and legs, slashes on his chest and abdomen, he wasn’t even moving, Castiel couldn’t tell if he were breathing.

“Dean?!” Castiel dropped his blade, it made a metallic clang as he broke the line and pulled Dean up and into the house, his room, immediately laying him on the bed and running for bandages. “Are you awake? Can you hear me?” He started patching him up hurriedly, cursing his lack of adequate grace.

Dean just grabbed Castiel’s hand in response, tight, pained.

“Thank god… thank god…” He ignored the irony and breathed easier, taking the appropriate amount of time to peel away the mans tattered shirt and finishing his work up precisely. He spoke only when he was sure Dean would survive the night.“You should rest Dean, explain to me… this… tomorrow.”

Dean shook his head, gritting his teeth, even that small gesture hurt him terribly.

“… Have you gone mute Dean?” Castiel blinked in concern.

Dean looked at him with an almost sorry, defeated expression and opened his mouth. There was scar tissue in the back and more fresh cuts in the front, whatever had done this had been doing it for a while.

“I-…” He wanted to gasp. “You can write it down for me then, you need rest Dean.” Had they made him drink holy water? He was terribly concerned, but keeping his cool for Deans sake.

Dean shut his mouth and clutched on the pillow out of pain when he swallowed subconsciously.

”…“ Castiel blinked, looking at dean sadly. "I don’t have much grace left but….” He touched Dean’s Adam’s apple and the pain, at least, went away.

Dean gave a small, quiet sigh. His eyes slowly closed, grip never leaving the pillow, but loosening.

Castiel smiled and laid back to back on the bed, even that small amount of grace was exhausting to use. He fell asleep better than he had in weeks knowing Dean was right there next to him.


	2. Crossed Out

Castiel’s eyes flickered open with the afternoon sun and he looked to where Dean had been on instinct, before looking to anything else in the world to see where he had gone. He had been exhausted, he had slept late, if anything had happened to Dean in his absence he would never live it down.

He looked and after a brief moment noticed the small trail of drying blood leading out of his bedroom. It wasn’t a lot , but it was certainly noticeable, and enough to make Castiel almost panic.

“Dean?” Castiel hurried to follow the trail, leading him out and into the living room.

When he entered he Saw Dean laid on the couch, looking dully out one of the windows, like he had gotten up in the night and moved.

“What are you doing Dean?” Castiel questioned. “And you’re bleeding!” He went to a cabinet of the adjoined kitchen to fetch new bandages.

Dean just watched Castiel, then lifted a small notebook and pen that he had had to his chest.

“What do you have there?” He asked, sitting on his knees at Deans side as he took the old, bloodsoaked wraps.

Dean wrote on the pad with the pen. “Was in your junk drawer, & so I can talk for now, duh.”

“Tsk, nice to know your emotionally sound.” He smiled. “Why did you come out here Dean?”

Dean scribbled more on his notepad, “Didn’t think barging in and screwing your sheets up was fair. Sorry about the carpet… & couch.”

“Dean, you are very welcome in my bed.” He shook his head, then blushed at another possible interpretation of his meaning. “Where have you been? What happened to you?”

Dean scribbled on the pad again, a couple of scratching things out here and there. "Don’t know, couldn’t catch their names.  ~~It hurt so bad Cas~~. Tortured me.” He paused a while before resuming his writing. “They even waterboarded me with holy water…..have you ever seen anyone do that to a demon! IT’S FUCKING TERRIFYING!” He underlined the last bit for effect and to expel some of the anger building in him.

Castiel’s eyes were wide, even for a demon, even for Dean. His hand was behind Deans head, pulling him in for a hug, as soft a one as he could offer, before Dean knew it. “I’m so sorry….”

Dean eyes were surprised but they soon softened and he hugged back.

“I’m sorry we didn’t find you in time, we looked, I didn’t sleep, Sam was so scared…” His hug tightened, not too much, minding Dean’s fragility.

Dean tried to talk, his throat was scared and his voice was cracked and to the point of breaking. It was hard for him, it hurt, he could hardly make a sound and he couldn’t even say certain parts of his sentence due to sheer pain.

“I…as…scar-d…too….”

“Dean.” Castiel pet his hair, knowing the pain- he was older than he looked, knew more, knew more of torture than he wished to admit. “I will never allow you to be afraid again so long as I am an angel, so long as I live.”

Dean squeezed Cas’s shoulder in response. “C-as…..I….I…ve…” His voice cracked even more and he hissed at the pain in his throat.

Castiel touched Dean’s throat, the pain went away for a moment- but Castiel’s eyes flickered a darker, dead blue a moment and his presence dwindled like he were on the verge of passing out.

“C-as…n-no…ore…” Dean patted Castiel’s chest.

“I can’t watch you hurt like this Dean.” He took the hand and held it to his chest thoughtfully.

“B-ut…g…gace..”

“I fell for you twice- I think I can do it one more time.” The smile on his lips was sad and happy all at once.

Twice?

The first was literal, from heaven, that one was sure… the second?

Dean cocked his head, “t-ice?”

“I fell from heaven…. and I fell….” His grip on Dean’s hand tightened slightly. “For…” His breathing stuttered. “You.”

“R-rely?” He asked with wide eyed, his voice cracked again, his body stiffened.

“It only took a night or two after we became close…” He admitted as if he were ashamed.

Dean smiled and kissed Castiel’s cheek lightly. “I-clse…to ou…”

“I e-e-expect you meant reciproc-cation-” His words went jittery in shock. “Write it down Dean, I’m going to try and fix you again if you don’t.”

Dean sighed and wrote what he had meant. “I love you too, you big nerd.”


End file.
